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Secondary education

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Travelling to school in the dark

55 replies

JigglyPuff123 · 30/09/2021 20:00

DC started y7 and has been travelling independently to school. Gets a bus at 7.45 or 7 depending on activities to school, and gets home either 4.30 or 5.30. Ten-minute walk to bus stop along lit but not hugely busy london roads. Am I being mad to let DC walk this by themself? I don’t really have a choice as I have a younger DC at home and I can’t be doing 20-min round trips daily on foot. It’s been fine so far but I’ve just realised this will all be in darkness relatively soon.
Does anyone have any great tips to make DCs feel safer travelling to school in the dark in winter?

OP posts:
Hellocatshome · 30/09/2021 20:17

I always wonder why people find the dark so scary. You are in London so I imagine there are plenty of streetlights so its not dark dark. There will still be people around.

Fluffypastelslippers · 30/09/2021 20:16

Ten-minute walk to bus stop along lit but not hugely busy london roads. Am I being mad to let DC walk this by themself? I don’t really have a choice as I have a younger DC at home and I can’t be doing 20-min round trips daily on foot.

Why can't you do it? Lots of people have younger DC and do a school run/walk to bus safely etc. not a chance I would have mine out at 7am ish alone in the dark winter mornings. Sorry but there must be a workable solution somewhere.

BakingOfTheFoodCats · 30/09/2021 20:13

Oh wow I live near a secondary school like 5 mins walk away and they (mostly) all travel alone to and from

JigglyPuff123 · 30/09/2021 20:09

I couldn’t pick DC up, it’s a 45-min bus journey at least and I’ve got to get younger DC off to primary school. I’m just wondering if I should be walking older DC to bus stop, accompanied by younger DC, wait for older DC’s bus with them then take younger DC back home for 30min then off to primary school.
Seems mad but I found another thread on here where people were saying they wouldn’t let their teenage children walk around in the dark, let alone my y7. Confused

OP posts:
BakingOfTheFoodCats · 30/09/2021 20:06

I’m in London and unless there is SEN it would be very unusual for a parent to pick up a child from secondary school even year 7, totally normal to travel alone at that age